Dawson Park Boy

It was!! The situation here in Spain seems about the same as in Scotland regarding masks. Businesses are going through the motions trying to enforce it but not with any enthusiasm.

Took to dinner twice in Glasgow and once in Edinburgh, Billy Payne, the keyboard player of Little Feat whilst on European Tours. Currently playing with the Doobie Brothers as LF don’t do so much nowadays.Top man but a bit too lefty for my liking politically.

Nesbitt is some player. How he’s playing in our league beats me.

Bernie Slaven went to Middlesbrough, I think but it was in fact Tony Green he was referring to. Well done.

Spot on. Thats him.

On a footballing theme, met Gordon Banks at a Florida resort a good few years ago (sadly, he’s now died). Told me he was on the Pools Panel and one of his pals was a guy who started out at, I think Albion Rovers, and then became a legend in England? Cant remember his name.

Like you I don’t wear a mask and have not been pulled up until today. Was on a Jet 2 flight to Spain, was admonished for non mask wearing, showed my exemption certificate and was promptly told that Jet2 don’t recognise them. Didn’t want any hassle so complied.

Wow - Chris Robinson has one of rock’s best voices. Nice one.

You’re putting yourself on the block bringing this up! I did and was vilified for it. If our support hate the idea then I’m afraid it’s dead.

I suppose it must be Jeffrey Archer in the early90’s. He was Chairman of the Conservative party at the time and was doing the ‘rubber chicken’ circuit. I was tasked with looking after him and he was a real joy to be with. Obviously, turned out to be a bit of a chancer, and paid the penalty, but was one of those people who had bags of charisma and could make a great speech without any notes. At the very modest hotel where he was staying, he had all the staff ‘eating out of his hand’ as he just loved people liking him. In the early 70’s, when living in London I did the Accounts of the actor, Leo McKern who played Rumpole of the Bailey. Very insecure bloke, I thought. Regarding Legends of blues, I managed to spend time with Hubert Sumlin at Montego Bay airport.

We also make people wear masks.

They won’t. They love ‘sitting on the fence’ but eventually it will break.

You are correct. Wage levels for far too long have been kept depressed due to an abundance of cheap foreign labour. Now is the time for the British workforce to cash in. Yes, it will create inflationary pressures on prices but it is up to companies to find efficiencies.

Think he’s recently had an operation. Dont know how serious his injury is.

Maybe she’s going to start vaccinating kids immediately rather than waiting for the Official advice? There have been a few hints towards that.

The topic is about the SNP/Green Alliance. Ratcliffe's position, politics, domicile is neither here nor there. Please confine yourself to discussing the effects of this agreement on the Scottish economy.

Not at all. All I’m saying is that before Ratcliffe and Ineos came along, Grangemouth was going nowhere. Now, it contributes greatly to Scottish GDP and to central belt employment. Where the boss chooses to live is irrelevant. Most of the wind turbine companies are foreign owned. We are going to need oil and gas for many years to come and it is not good to have an SNP/ Green government calling the shots, especially as it is easy to relocate businesses to friendlier jurisdictions.

I take it you want Ineos to leave Scotland and the oil and gas sector to be closed down. Brilliant!!

What’s that got to do with the massive operation at Grangemouth? INEOS is an international company.

Superb article from Andrew Neil. What a journalist.

No The 68/69 flu outbreak had 80000 UK deaths on a much lower population and affected a lower aged cohort. Okay, it was Asian but, so what.

Everyone goes on and on about cases. What does it matter? This is now an endemic disease and we’ve just got to live(or die) with it. In the late 60’s we had 80000 deaths due to Spanish flu and nobody bothered much. Hospitals were packed out but that’s what they’re there for.

Are you deranged? Belgium and France are separate countries. Scotland is a PART of the UK.

This current shortage of drivers and other ancillary workers is a fantastic opportunity to push the wages of these jobs up to more realistic levels. For far too long we’ve relied on an oversupply of foreign labour to depress wages in those industries. That time is over due to a combination of Covid, Brexit, delays in granting HGV licences and the closing of the outrageous IR35 loophole. Were already seeing employers offering ‘golden hellos’ and other financial incentives. Its going to be changed times and, I think, for the better.

It's out the reach for the vast majority and the govt know it. I've been on a waiting list for a relatively routine operation for 9 months now. Had all the diagnostics despite lockdowns but just caught up now in a huge backlog. If it worsens I've been told not to hesitate in dialing 999 and I will require emergency surgery in that situation. I enquired about going private and had quotes of between 11 and 15k so totally out of the question for me and I would assume the vast majority bar the tiny proportion with private medical plans. The reality for the vast majority is that we are at the mercy of the NHS. That’s a classic situation and I fully sympathise with you. You are demonstrating that the NHS is not looking after you other than when you reach the point of requiring emergency surgery. Absolutely appalling!! As an aside, is there not a point where the NHS must pay for you to be dealt with privately? I don’t know the solution but there must be a system which combines the state and an insurance based regime to meet our needs regardless of income. Other European countries manage it.